There's no shortage of love for Castle Freak around these parts, so we were pretty stoked when our pals at Fangoria offered the chance to debut some new photos from the set of their upcoming reimagining of Stuart Gordon and Dennis Paoli's 1995 cult classic. Directed by award-winning SFX makeup artist Tate Steinsiek (who trained under the legendary Tom Savini) and based on a script by Kathy Charles, Castle Freak features a cast that includes newcomer Clair Catherine, Jake Horowitz (The Vast of Night), Chris Galust (Give Me Liberty), and Kika Magalhães (The Eyes of My Mother). Original star and BMD fave Barbara Crampton is producing this thrilling reimagining, which is set to have its world premiere at the Chattanooga Film Festival on April 16 – debuting in the coveted midnight slot following a screening of the opening night film, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead's Synchronic.
In addition to the title image above, check out a new behind-the-scenes photo from Castle Freak below, courtesy of Fangoria and photographer Aimee Kuge:
Castle Freak follows a young woman named Rebecca who inherits a castle in Albania from her long lost mother shortly after going blind. Rebecca recruits her boyfriend John and their friends for a journey abroad to handle this unexpected inheritance, but upon their arrival, Rebecca discovers even more family secrets lurking in the shadows – some of which have startling and potentially cosmic implications. Confronted by disturbing occurrences within the castle and with her friends' lives in imminent peril, Rebecca is forced to reckon with her family's past to save herself from the eponymous Castle Freak.
The second collaboration between Fangoria and Full Moon Pictures, Castle Freak also stars Emily Sweet, Elisha Pratt, and Omar Brunson, and features a score by iconic Italian composer Fabio Frizzi.
And in addition to all of the above, here's a look at the rest of the Chattanooga Film Festival's first wave of programming:
65 DAYS OF STATIC | Director Rob Grant
World premiere - Canada, 2020
Director’s Statement: I wouldn't call it 'destroying' a film...But with the amount of media available at our fingertips I've just been getting this dread about how disposable it all feels. This is an experiment in taking that to an extreme conclusion.
ANALOG LOVE | Director Rob Galluzzo
Southeast premiere - USA, 2020
Do you remember the long lost era of sharing your feelings with someone through a "mix tape?" Analog Love is an analysis of why this ritual of communication through music still continues to be so important. With the insights of Henry Rollins, Money Mark (Beastie Boys), Kim Shattuck (The Muffs), Jennifer Finch (L7), Jimmy Urine (Mindless Self Indulgence), Chantal Claret, Jude "Rude Jude" Angelini, Zernell Gillie (Grimy!), Mona Lisa Murray, Christian James Hand (The Session) and many more, we'll get to the bottom of the long lost art of the mix tape.
CARGO | Director Arati Kadav
Southeast premiere - India, 2020
A young female astronaut, who joins a reclusive astronaut aboard a spaceship, struggles with her job as she interacts with mysterious Cargos that appear on the ship.
CASTLE FREAK | Director Tate Steinsiek
World Premiere - USA, 2020
Rebecca and her friends travel to Albania to manage her sudden inheritance of a castle from her long-lost-mother, discovering dark family secrets with potentially cosmic implications.
SYNCHRONIC | Directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead
Tennessee premiere - USA, 2020
New Orleans paramedics Steve (Anthony Mackie) and Dennis (Jamie Dornan) have their lives ripped apart when they stumble upon a bizarre plot involving a series of drug-related deaths, in Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead's (Spring, The Endless) stylish and genre-bending new film.
THE VICE GUIDE TO BIGFOOT | Director Zach Lamplugh
Tennessee premiere - USA, 2020
The debut feature from director Zach Lamplugh (Adult Swim); This paranormal comedy follows a hopelessly millennial reporter on the most important assignment of his career: Bigfoot. But after following a prominent cryptozoologist into the Appalachian foothills, he’s forced to answer the question “is a good story worth dying for?”
But wait, there's more! The CFF's first wave announce also includes these awesome live shows...
LIVE SHOWS + PODCASTS
NIGHTMARE UNIVERSITY
Podcast
FANGORIA and one of America’s leading horror genre experts have teamed up to bring you NIGHTMARE UNIVERSITY. Every week, join horror genre professor Dr. Rebekah McKendry alongside a notable genre industry expert as they take a deep look at a specific element of the horror genre. Each 30 – 45 minute show feels like a lively university class discussing horror history, key players, and important films. This is not an interview show. This is pure horror education.
NIGHTMARE UNIVERSITY is presented by the FANGORIA Podcast Network.
THE SESSION
Live Show
Christian James Hand is also a DJ on 95.5 KLOS in Los Angeles. Over the past couple of years he has curated, and grown, a ground-breaking radio segment he calls “The Session” where he takes you through a track-by-track breakdown of some of the greatest songs ever recorded and reveals the magic behind the music. Now he is taking The Session on the road for unforgettable live shows.
SHOCK WAVES
Podcast
Blumhouse Productions presents SHOCK WAVES: Join your hosts Rob Galluzzo (Acquisitions and Development for Fangoria), Elric Kane (This Week In Horror, Inside Horror), Rebekah McKendry (Former editor In Chief: Blumhouse.com, Fangoria) and Ryan Turek (VP of Development at Blumhouse Productions) for a weekly discussion and analysis of all facets of the horror genre! SHOCK WAVES puts the focus on the latest horror films, retrospectives on classic titles and welcomes very special guests for all aspects of the industry to tackle a variety of topics and give listeners candid insight into how some of the best genre films are made. SHOCK WAVES is here to quench your insatiable thirst for all things horror!
SHOCK WAVES is presented by Blumhouse and the FANGORIA Podcast Network.
Exciting stuff, all the way around! So...who's going to CFF? Sound off below, and stay tuned for more on Castle Freak as further updates roll in.